Advantest is seeing a spike in demand for its chip-testing devices, catalyzed by the frenzy of interest in OpenAI’s ChatGPT and other novel uses of artificial intelligence.
A global race to develop powerful computing clusters and next-generation AI-training systems is spurring chipmakers to buy many more of the Tokyo-based company’s testing tools, Advantest Co-Chief Strategy Officer Yasuo Mihashi said in an interview.
The executive’s outlook comes against a backdrop of muted demand for consumer electronics and a U.S.-led campaign to restrict trade of advanced semiconductors to China. Japan said last month it would expand export controls on its chip technology. Still, the AI surge is driving up orders from Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices, two companies that provide the key AI-training semiconductors and which rely on Advantest as their main testing tools supplier, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.